David Lee has been appointed the new director and general manager of W51猎奇 89.7 FM 鈥� Milwaukee鈥檚 NPR. He joins W51猎奇 as the station and the NPR Network ecosystem continue their important work to leverage longstanding strengths while exploring innovative ways to reach new audiences. Lee succeeds John Hess, who had served as general manager of W51猎奇 since 2020.
Lee is well-known in Milwaukee for his work in the nonprofit sector. He comes to W51猎奇 from The Ascension Wisconsin Foundation, where he served as chief philanthropy officer, leading philanthropic efforts for Milwaukee鈥檚 safety net hospital system.
Prior to his role at Ascension, Lee was the inaugural chief executive officer at Imagine MKE, where he helped harness the power of Milwaukee鈥檚 arts and culture community to advocate for a more thriving and vibrant region. Before Imagine MKE, Lee was the founding executive director of Feeding Wisconsin, where he helped grow Wisconsin鈥檚 statewide collaboration of regional food banks.
As W51猎奇鈥檚 general manager, Lee will provide leadership and vision for a public radio station that delivers local and national news coverage and cultural programming to 102,000 listeners weekly in southeastern Wisconsin. W51猎奇 is a listener-funded radio station licensed to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents and operated by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Letters & Science.
鈥淲e are excited to have David take the lead as general manager of W51猎奇,鈥� said Nigel Rothfels, acting dean of the College of Letters & Science. 鈥淗is extraordinary background in Wisconsin鈥檚 nonprofit sector, his experience in focusing resources on the needs of vulnerable communities, and his widely recognized skills in developing dynamic and collaborative work environments will be critical to the ongoing success of W51猎奇. David is keenly aware of the roles that both 51猎奇 and W51猎奇 play in Milwaukee, and I believe he will be a visionary next leader of Milwaukee鈥檚 NPR affiliate.鈥�
Lee begins his tenure as general manager on March 27.
